How can you build a strong relationship with a founder who resists feedback?

Of-course it’s about understanding their perspective. Not only with resistant entrepreneurs but with every stakeholder across all functions. That’s the key to win - win. But first work on your own style. Make two changes. 1. Always present a win win and not a my way versus your way. Announce this twice. Once before the meet and once at the end. People should realise your goal. 2. Make sure (as in investor / board member ) your reputation is that of someone who listens but needs convincing and digs in deep. This one really worked for me. People take efforts to convince me (when they hear about my reputation) hence I get more time and more data and higher commitment levels from my investee companies.

Building a strong relationship with a founder who resists feedback requires a tactful and empathetic approach. Start by establishing trust and showing genuine interest in their vision and challenges. Communicate feedback in a constructive manner, focusing on specific behaviors or outcomes rather than personal traits. Frame your feedback in the context of helping them achieve their goals and the company's success. Listen to their perspective and acknowledge any concerns they may have. Offer support and resources to address the areas of feedback. Be patient and consistent in your approach, demonstrating that your feedback is intended to be helpful and supportive, not critical or undermining.

Data. Data. Data. A Founder that is resistant to feedback typically can be overcome with real evidence. If a product is not achieving PMF or is not growing at an appropriate rate — showing customer responses, market level comparables or otherwise gently sharing an analytical narrative that demonstrates your point can break a stalemate.

Investors should foster a space where founders can easily give feedback on communication and support. It's important for strengthening the investor-founder relationship. Investors need to not just welcome feedback but also seek it out. Listen to what founders say, think about it carefully, and make changes when needed.

I guide them towards the learning attitude necessary for success—framing feedback as collaborative problem-solving, not criticism. I emphasise the "growth mindset" — it is about continuous improvement. Without input, it is not possible to get better and adjust if something is not working. As a capital raiser, I look for teams that are keen to be trained; otherwise, it will be very frustrating.

Building a strong communication channel is crucial. We all use different means of communication and operate on different schedules. With most founders I have found that a direct link is most helpful - they operate in an environment that changes daily, so short, informal communication is usually preferred. However, it is crucial to also build more established formats, like monthly video calls to discuss challenges, track progress and define next steps. All the while, it is important to tailor your communication to the founder's needs - they have to deal with often an overwhelming amount of often well-intentioned feedback, and it is therefore crucial to also find a balanced approach together with all relevant stakeholders.

As a former founder, I empathize with the intense personal connection founders have with their startups. Feedback often feels like a critique of their vision. When engaging with founders, I acknowledge their hard work and celebrate their accomplishments, even the minor ones, as these are easily overlooked in the thick of it. Sharing my own journey, including challenges and how I navigated them, helps forge a connection. This approach establishes a safe space for dialogue, making my feedback feel less like criticism and more like guidance from shared experience. The goal is for your feedback to be seen as a tool for their growth and success, rather than a challenge to their ideas.

As the CEO of a public company with multiple acquisitions, our acquisitions success hinged on fostering strong relationships with the founders. Trust in their judgment was paramount and I supported independent decision making. I also found that seeking feedback and advice from them was helpful in building trust and collaborative growth.

In my opinion, to succeed, you need to understand and help leaders. While empathy is important, it must be paired with strategic direction to encourage flexibility and new ideas. We need to support a "learn-it-all" mindset, seeing feedback as a chance to improve and grow, even if the founder doesn't want to hear it. It is important to actively listen and participate in feedback meetings in a respectful way. This method not only shows respect for the founder's vision but also allows for collaborative growth and market-leading innovation. This aligns with my belief that the best results come from working together, not alone!

Life’s too short. If a founder isn’t open to feedback, move on. There are always other fish in the sea. Look for a founder where you have a better relationship and can have a productive dialogue.

No investor is keen to collaborate with the founder. Future investments would be tough. Investors follow their analysts for the decision of funding which is more technical in assessing the startup. Founder resists feedback because they don't believe investor's ability to see through what is happening at ground level. In many cases, the Founder knows better as the founder can see in his experiments and market studies. Most innovative ideas in the world have not been assessed before someone created a great value out of it. The best way to be comfortable with the founder is to collaborate with him and help him to work around the findings. Investors have more collaborative tools than struggling startups.

It's important for founders and investors to build rapport before sharing space on the cap table. The age-old adage is a founder/investor relationship is similar to a marriage, so it's essential to ensure mutual compatibility on a personal level prior to investment.

Have a cadence through thick and thin where you and the founder follow up--weekly checkins, monthlies, board meetings, etc. A lot of times, VCs run on autopilot until a portfolio company--and thus its founder--is on the ropes. That's NOT the time to start giving feedback. If you're a VC whose done this, your feedback may indeed land on deaf ears. Next time, to make sure a founder remains open, you have to remain open as an investor-- celebrate wins and soundboard anxieties. Trust building is not done in a tight situation, it's done over time--if you build the trust slow, when things get hard, you can remain hopeful that your sincerity over time planted seeds that bear shoots in times of trouble.

Naval Ravikant adds a great perspective on coachability which fits this context: "There’s a meme among venture capitalists—especially inexperienced ones—that a good founder should be coachable. These investors rely too much on their own abilities, thinking they’re right and founders are wrong. Inexperienced investors also rely too much on the idea that you can change people in the short-term. Experienced investors know this isn’t the case. In fact, great founders aren’t that coachable. They listen to lots of advice, but they follow very little of it. They develop their own internal compass. So I believe that coachability is an overrated metric."

Remove the personal from any disagreement and focus on process. Importantly, if the business has a clear Goal it is working to reach that is where the focus should be. Park the ego and discuss the ideas at stake. If the founder is really reluctant to take onboard feedback (this happens all the time) you may have to drop the topic and use your energy elsewhere.

At times, you will not click with the entrepreneur. Sometimes your styles will be different or they might think you may not provide enough value or whatever the reason. This is okay, instead of only insisting use proxies to convey your message. Ask them to connect to other founders who they may relate to more or use other investor to reach the same outcome.

1. Recognize the founder's perspective and reasons for resisting feedback. Establish trust through transparency and consistent follow-through. 2. Demonstrate genuine interest by actively listening to the founder's ideas and concerns. 3. Present feedback constructively, focusing on growth opportunities rather than criticism. 4. Support feedback with relevant data and evidence for a more objective approach. 5. Convey a genuine desire to support by providing resources, connections, and expertise. 6. Recognize that changing attitudes takes time; be patient and consistently demonstrate commitment. 7. Know when to push for changes and when to respect the founder's autonomy, avoiding micromanagement.